Giant train set Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Planning a wee jaunt to usa. I have a few huner quid of tesco clubcard so looked at converting. virgin atlantic are pretty clear on their website. But I think can only use to their primary destinations. So I have to buy an onward flight from jfk to buffalo. So anyone with experience on converting to avios or ba and how I go about getting a quote from other airlines. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biffer Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Avios isn't really worth it for transatlantic now IMO. You have to pay full taxes which are in excess of £300 so you're not saving that much. Better off using Avios for Europe - most destination 9000 miles plus £35 for a return (and the cost is the same from Edinburgh and Glasgow as it is from London). . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Agree. You get more value for your points with Domestic and European flights than you do with transatlantic flights. Is possible to find some good saving, but you need a awful lot of points for just one person to get the better deals (ie 40,000 + £350 tax) and in a good year I make 20 - 25,000 points through Tescos with maybe 10,000 extra points through other Avios schemes (ie buying train ticket, e-rewards etc....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deecie Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Should definitely go with Avios. For European flights from Scotland, BA throw in the Scotland-LHR bit for free. I wouldn't bother going TA with them though, if you're flying economy 90% of the flight price is taxes, which the airmiles don't cover. Just book in advance and you can get to (near enough) anywhere in the USA for about £400 return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 BA Avios are great but the flight availability can be a bit of a mare. Most options from Glasgow via London require bus transfer from Gatwick to Heathrow (a reasonable service but makes for a long day). I'm told BA Avios for long haul are best used to get you an upgrade. You won't pay too much more for a return flight as you would for an economy reward ticket once the taxes are added, but you'll get to travel in a better class and earn back Avios via your flight purchase. I've started buying air miles with all my Tesco Clubcard vouchers now. If you compare with the cost of buying Avios using cash, it's one of the best value things you can spend your vouchers on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan Blackheart Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 What about nectar? I have about 55000 of these points. Does anyone in the know think it's worth me using those to go to the USA or South Africa next year? I'm itching to use the nectar points soon as I think sainsbury's may well either go bust or have to merge next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Used Nectar points to pay for an Easyjet flight to Madrid, although I had to pay about a quarter of the cost of the fare as an admin charge... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deecie Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 BA Avios are great but the flight availability can be a bit of a mare. I've found that availability suddenly appears a few days before departure. £17.50 from Aberdeen to Moscow is excellent, but it can be a bit of a risk if your travel dates and destination are fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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